For you
by vampirerose49
Summary: It was time to leave his older brother and go home. But how will Naiee cope with suddenly being the only son? And is the Tree of Life really not able to bring back the dead? Rated M for future chapters.


_I ran. I ran faster than I had ever done in my entire life. Faster than when the towns bully chased me when I was younger. Faster than when I had been running from that hideous snow monster. Because this time, it wasn't about me. This time I ran to save the life of my brother._

 **/\/\/\**

But when he finally came back down from the tree he was too late. Naia's body was cold and his poisoned veins were a strong black and blue contrast to his pale white skin. There was nothing Naiee could do and after several fruitless attempts to bring his brother back, the valley suddenly echoed with the heartbroken scream as the little brother cried out his older brother's name.

Naiee buried his brother there on the hill. There was no reason for him to take the body back home. After all, this family was used to gravestones with no actual graves beneath them...  
When he was finally done, Naiee felt totally drained. How would he ever make it back? Alone? He sat down and felt how all will just left him. He had no more strength to give. He would never make it in time. His father would die. Naia was dead, just like his mother. Sobs started to shake his little body again even though he didn't know that he had any tears left. That was when he heard the all too familiar shrieks of the griffin over the hills. Naiee looked up and for a moment he felt like smiling. He ran to greet the creature.

"I'm sorry for leaving you. I thought you were dead," he said as he hugged his friend. The owl being just cooed softly and motioned for the boy to climb on her back. Together they left that godforsaken place and just a few hours later, Naiee could see his village in the distance.

One week later Naiee and his father stood under the big willow on the hill. A smaller gravestone was raised next to the one with the image of a rose. It all felt so unreal. Naia wasn't even under that stone! Naiee was ripped from his thoughts when a sound almost like someone had a hard time breathing was heard to is right. He looked discreetly to the side only to be met by the sight of his father breaking down completely. And as he patted the man's back Naiee suddenly understood. His life as a little boy was over. He had to be the strong one now. Everything that he had always taken for granted, everything that Naia had done or helped him with, was gone. He had to learn how to do it on his own. He could not fool around anymore. It was time to grow up.

 **/\/\/\**

"I'm disappointed in you."

He wasn't even sure where the voice came from anymore. Everything just blurred together. He didn't know if he was dreaming or awake or if there even was such things here. Did you dream or sleep when you were dead? He had times of...clarity, though. Like when he had said goodbye to Naiee or when he guided him home. Naia felt tears welling up as he thought his little brother's name but it was just a feeling. He couldn't cry. He had no solid shape. At least he didn't think so. He couldn't feel his body. It was more like his existence, or rather his nonexistence, was a _memory._

"You stupid boy!"

It was that voice again. Naia had no idea who it was. It sounded like his mother, but was so harsh. Was she really so mad at him? Well, she had every right to be. God, he was such a fool! And his brother... Naiee... He had been so brave, so strong. He was the proudest big brother in the entire world and he couldn't even tell him that. Naia cursed in his mind and then felt like he was drifting away back into the strange void he usually was in.

"He is a pure soul. I will help you. For him," the voice suddenly said and ripped him back to clarity. Naia wanted to ask what it meant but he had no voice. Instead he started to notice as something was moving in the darkness. Like snakes or, was it...roots? A slight glow and a vibration in the void. Naia could sense some kind of consistence, like as if he more and more became whole. And before he knew it he was rising and then clawing his way out of the dirt. The wind was cold against his hands and face as he broke through the surface of his grave and then sat panting at the edge of it.

And he felt. All pain came rushing back to him at once and he cried out as it shocked his entire body. It was the pain of dying, the pain of being born and the pain from his abdominal wound all at once. For twenty minutes he just lay in fetal position on the ground and tried to gather himself. It was hell and tears started to finally roll down his cheeks but not just from the pain. He was alive. He had been given a second chance. And finally he understood that the voice talking to him had been the spirit of the Tree of Life. It just came in the shape of his mother because he would recognize it. Naia slowly sat up and pulled up his shirt. The wound in his stomach was not open but was more like an ugly scar that wasn't entirely healed. He sighed at the sight and felt his lungs ache after not having been used for so long. He decided he had to rest before starting the long journey back. The night was falling quickly and Naia went to gather some dead twigs and start a fire but he felt no need for building a shelter. The early autumn evenings were still warm. Besides that he knew he wouldn't sleep much. He had done his fair share of unconsciousness for a long time to come. He looked at the stars that started to twinkle above him and used them to direct his gaze towards where he knew his childhood home was.

"I'm coming home Naiee," he whispered to the wind.

 **/\/\/\**

 **Author's note:  
**...and just as I wrote this _Brothers under the sun_ from the movie _Spirits_ started playing...

Hello everyone! So... I played _Brothers- a tale of two sons_ for the second time with my sister and honestly I don't know why we put ourselves through this again :'(  
We wanted all achievements but...but... Just why?! Was it worth it to get our hearts broken again? Stupid big bro just thinking with his...well... Aaanyway I'm obsessed with this game now and there are so few fanfics of it so I just had to write one ;)  
Thank you for reading and as always: reviews and favs are highly appreciated! :D  
I'm sorry for any typos or incorrect use of grammar. I sat up almost the entire night working with this.

Not sure whether I should end it here or continue with Naia's journey home and the family being reunited. What do you think?


End file.
